El Cortez casino: dates and blanks on the property's own pages

The pages we opened are the property's own about page and its history timeline. The about page places the building in downtown Las Vegas and prints the address as 600 East Fremont Street. The same page prints the phones 702-385-5200 and 1-800-634-6703.

The about page says the hotel has been part of the neighborhood since 1941, and it describes the operation as family-run. It says the facade is the one from 1952, when the "new" neon signage was installed. It calls the property the longest continuously running hotel and casino in Las Vegas.

That longest-running line is the page's claim. This note does not audit a licence file or a chain of title beyond the timeline.

A register date, not a rating

The about page says that on 22 February 2013 the building became the only existing casino on the National Register of Historic Places. The timeline's 2013 entry says it was the first hotel and casino placed on that register, and it points at the Spanish ranch facade and the neon.

Those are two sentences from two pages. A star rating is not on either page.

The casino knowledge hub is the cluster. This file has no affiliate link. We did not book a room or sit at a table.

The 1941 block says John Kell Houssels, one of the first in Las Vegas to obtain a casino licence, partnered with architects JC Grayson and Marion Hicks. The entry calls the result downtown's first luxury hotel-casino.

The 1945 block says Bugsy Siegel, Meyer Lansky, Moe Sedway, and Gus Greenbaum bought the property. The next block, still before the 1946 text, says Wayne McAllister remodeled the interior and left the exterior in its 1941 condition.

In May 1946 Houssels reacquired the property with Ray Salmon and announced a $250,000 expansion. The timeline lists a barber shop, a nightclub, a swimming pool, and a 4-story wing.

The 1952 block is a grand opening of the "new" hotel. Bill Moore is named as general manager, and Tom Douglas is named for the remodel. The about page's 1952 neon line sits beside that year, not inside a room count.

The 1963 block says Jackie Gaughan purchased the property. It does not print a table minimum for that year or for tonight.

The Horseshoe founder is a different downtown figure. A walk along the resort boulevard is a different street. This corner is Fremont, not that map's subject.

Before the 2007 header, the timeline says a 15-story tower added 200 guest rooms and suites. Jackie Gaughan and his wife Bertie lived on the top floor for over 30 years. The block does not print the year of the tower, so this note does not assign one.

The 2007 header covers two lines we will keep dated. Fremont East Entertainment District became official.

Kenny Epstein purchased the property from Jackie Gaughan. The line says he preserved traditions from 45 years of Gaughan's ownership.

The Cabana Suites line says the Ogden House apartments became downtown's first boutique hotel. It prints a total room count of 364. That number belongs to that line.

What later lines do not add up

The 2013 National Register line is quoted above. A 2014 block says Jackie Gaughan had died and that his 2,700 square foot penthouse was kept as a suite and opened for bookings. The timeline does not print a nightly rate for that suite.

Siegel's 1941 replaced The Flame Steakhouse, which had replaced the original coffee shop. No menu price is printed.

A 75-year line says former mayor Carolyn Goodman proclaimed November 1 as a day for the property. The calendar year of that proclamation is not a header we could read, so it stays off this page.

An 80th-anniversary line describes a 2-year, $25 million renovation, with a high-limit room and remodeled tower rooms. Another line calls the rooms above the casino The Original 47.

An expansion line adds 10,000 square feet, including a ShowBar, a roulette bar, a noodle bar, and a Starbucks. None of those lines prints a new room total or a meal price.

A current room count for El Cortez casino is not published past the Cabana Suites line. Adding 200 tower rooms to 47 original rooms would be our arithmetic, not the timeline's total, so we do not print it. The 364 stays where the page put it.

A star rating is not published. A restaurant price is not published.

A felt limit is not published, and a comp formula is not published. What a club card might return is the general idea of a player's card. The desk is the source, and these pages do not price an offer.

How to behave at a felt is manners, not a minimum bet. The Strip resort that opened in 2023 is a different building.

The timeline tells you when the building changed hands. It does not price a bet.

A house game on that floor uses whatever plaque is on the felt tonight. This site's wheel has a fee in the rules here.

Do not paste a 1946 construction dollar onto the wheel. The $250,000 is an expansion the timeline says was announced, not a bankroll.

How PvP compares: the property is a building with a timeline. Roulette is a 33-pocket wheel, 16 Purple, 16 Silver, and 1 Green, played against other players' stakes.

Purple and Silver pay 2x, then 5 percent comes off that winning payout, so a hit keeps 1.90 times the stake. Sixteen divided by 33, times 1.90, minus 1, is about −0.0788.

That is the 7.88 percent edge on those two pockets. Green pays 14x. This page does not quote a Green edge.

A settled round can be checked on the fairness page. The check matches this site's commit. It does not audit a downtown shoe, a cage, or a register listing.

Balances are US dollars, funded with Bitcoin or with USDC or ETH on Base. Cash-out minimum is $20 in BTC, USDC, or ETH.

We did not time a cash-out. The tier-credit note is the help-page minimums.

Example 1 — a steak price. Siegel's 1941 is named on the timeline, and no menu price sits next to it.

A supposed $48 plate is refused. This page will not turn a restaurant name into a bill.

Example 2 — the 1946 announcement. The timeline says a $250,000 expansion was announced in May 1946.

That figure is a construction line. It is not a bet, not a room rate, and not a comp.

Example 3 — Purple payout. A $20 Purple stake that wins pays 2x, which is $40. Five percent of that payout is $2, so the player receives $38.

The $38 is this site's wheel after the fee. It is not a chip on Fremont and not a cage slip. One win does not reveal the 7.88 percent edge.

The building can change a plaque without editing its history page. Read the felt you are standing at.

• [ ] You have the address from the about page, 600 East Fremont Street.
• [ ] You are not using a star rating. None is printed here.
• [ ] You are not using a menu price. None is printed here.
• [ ] The 364 rooms stay on the Cabana Suites line, not as a new total.
• [ ] The tower's 200 rooms are not given a year the timeline omitted.
• [ ] Tonight's felt limit was read on the felt, or you did not sit.
• [ ] A club offer was heard from the desk, or you skipped it.
• [ ] The $250,000 line stayed a 1946 announcement, not a bankroll.
• [ ] The $38 Purple net stayed on this site's wheel.
• [ ] A loss number is set before any stake.
• [ ] You are 18 or older, or you meet a stricter door.
• [ ] If the session becomes a chase, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

An evening at El Cortez casino can cost the stake you brought. The timeline does not soften that. A historic facade is not an edge, and a register listing is not a paytable.

Do not gamble if you are under 18. The pages we opened do not print a minimum age for the floor, so the door can be stricter. Do not play where it is illegal, and do not stake rent or money with a due date.

Do not play to get even. Why a cold run is not a credit is the general point. This page is an editorial note, not a listing, and not legal advice.

This site does not operate the property. If play stops being a bounded spend, call 1-800-GAMBLER and open responsible gambling.